Automatic blank-dressing machine



R. M. HEAMES.

AUTOMATIC BLANK DRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 7. I920.

1,414,642, Patented May 2, 1922.

RICHARD M. HEAD/LES, 015 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGITOR TO TEE VIXSONCOMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A. CORL QRATION OF MICHIGAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Eatcntcd May 2, 1922-.

Application filed October 7, 1920. Serial No. 415,388.

T 0 r/ZZ who m 1' i may concern.

Be it known that I, RICHARD M. HnAMns, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented a Certain new and useful Automatic Blank-Dressing Machine, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to im provements in the art ofconstructing and operating automatic machinery, and relates morespecifically to improvements in the construction of machines forautomatically dressing, finishing or otherwise operating upon wood ormetallic blanks and the like in succession. V

An object of the invention is to provide an automatic blank finishingmachine which is simple and compact in construction, and efficient inoperation.

it more specific object of the invention is to provide an automaticmachine which is adapted to neatly and accurately dress or finish arelatively large number of blanks successively and in a relatively shortspace of time, thereby increasing the capacity above that of priormachines of this character.

Another specific object is to provide an automatic machine which isexceedingly simple and fool-proof in structure, and in l which there isminimum liability of interblank point rupti'on in operation due toinoperativeness of working parts. i y

A. further specific object is to provide a machine in which all partsare readily accessible for lubrication, inspection, repairs andreplacement.

Still another object is to provide a device which may be manufactured atminimum cost and which can be quickly assembled and dismantled. I

These and other objects and advantages '-in both structure andoperation, will be apparent from the following description.

A. clear conception of an embodiment of the invention and of theoperation of such a device, may be had. by referring'to the drawingaccompanyingand forming a part of this'specification, in which likereference characters designate the same or similar parts inthe variousviews.

Figl- 1s a side elevation of an automatic finishing machine showing apractically their detail in are ordinarily first rough turned orotherwise formed by the use of suitable machinery in order to generallyshape them,

wooden blank being pointed or finished at itsforward end.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the automatic blank pointing machineshowing a pointed blank about to be ejected from the machine.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the automatic blank pointing machineshowing an unpointed blank positioned and ready for advancement towardthe cutter.

Fig. 4t is a fragmentary enlarged end view of the automatic blank pointfinishing machine, looking away from the cutter and to- .ward the blankcarrier.

Fig, 5 is an enlarged top view of the blank carrier of the blankfinishing machine.

Fig; 6 is anenlarged longitudinal vertical section throughthe blankcarrier of the blank finishing machine.

While the invention is herein shown and described as embodied in a woodblank point dre sing or finishing machine, it is not intended to limitthe scope by such illustrative disclosure, the novel principles andstructure being generally applicable to automatic machines for dressing,finishing, threading or otherwise operating upon blanksor bodies ofvaried form regardless of the kind of material of which the blanks are,made. The term blank as employed herein is intended to refer to anybody a quantity of which it is desired to successively machine toapproximately similar form and size. term pointing as employed hereindesignates the operation of finishing the end of The a body in anydesired manner, although the bodies may be finished longitudinally forentire lengths. It is furthermore not desired invention by employingterms which are especially applicable to a particular art, such termsbeing employed solely for the purpose of enhancing the clearness ofdescription.

The machine in which the invention has been herein specificallyembodied, is especially adapted to automatically finish wooden blanks18,-

Figs. 5 and 6. These blanks 18 they are passed through the finishing ma-'chinery which duces them to uniform size. In the particular embodimentof'tie invention disclosed one form of whichis shown in after which tolimit the scope of the 7 I finally dresses them and" re- 7 in thedrawing the cutter merely forms a in bearings 2 in the front frame andhas problanks could readily be threaded or otherwise finished with theaid of suitable substitute cutters or dies.

The blank pointing machine disclosed in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 comprises ingeneral front bearings 2 and a rear frame 3 which elements are shownrelatively rigidly mounted, but which may be relatively adjustablymounted upon a common frame, a rotary main spindle 5, a longitudinallyreciprocable blank carrier 4, a rough blank feeding device, and afinished blank discharge chute 17. Themain spindle 5 is rotatablysupported jecting opposite ends one of which carries a multi-diameterdrive pulley 7 of ordlnary form and attachment, and the other end ofwhich carries a rotary'tool or cutter 19. A driving belt is adapted forshifting so'as to coact with any section of the drive pulley 7 toproduce the desired speed of rotation of the shaft 5 and cutter 19.

Between the cutter 19 and the bearings 2, and associated directly withthe rotary spindle 5, is a worm 20 which meshes with a worm wheel 21.The worm wheel. 21 is secured to a short transverse shaft 30 rotatablymounted in'bearings in the frame and having a cam 9 secured to the frontend thereof. The cam 9 is rotatable by the worm 20 and Worm wheel 21 inthe direction indicated by the arrow, and is adapted to coact with themedial portion of a main vertical lever 10. The lever 10 has astationary lower pivot 31,-and has its upper swingable extremity securedto an end of the connecting rod 13. The swinging end of the lever 10 isalso pivotally attached to one end of a connection 12, the opposite endof which is pivotally attached to the upper extremity of an auxiliaryvertical lever 11. The medial portion of the lever 11 has a stationarypivot 32, while the lower end of this lever is connected by means of ahelical tension spring15 and an adjusting bar28 to a stationary pin 29on therear frame 3. The spring 15 at all times tends tourge the lever 11in a clockwise direction, and the'spring tension 1s variable by means ofa series of holesin the bar 28 which are adapted to receive the pin 29.

The rear end of the rod 13 passes through an opening in a socket 27andis provided with a nut which abuts the rear face of the socket.Between the front face of the socket 27 and an abutment surface at thefront end of the rod 13, is a coiled compression spring 14 whichnormally prevents relative displacementof the socket 27 longitudinallyofthe rod 13, but which permits the rod to move rearwardly relatively tothe socket in case the rearwardmovement of the carrier 4 is posit velychecked. The socket 27 is se- Cured theifilde Qfthe carrier 4 and isadapted to communicate the swinging movement of the main lever 10 to thecarrier 4.

The carrier 4 the details of which are clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5 and6, comprises an elongated rectangular metal block which islongitudinally reciprocable in a parallel sided recess in the rear frame3. The forward portion of the carrier 4-1s provided with a recess withlnwhich is located a pair of opposed jaws 33 which. form a chuck.

The j aws 33 are pivotally connected at their rear ends with the forwardend of a rod 39, by means of a transverse readily removable pin 40, therear end of the rod 39 being provided with an adjustable nut 43.Acornpression spring 38 embraces the rod 39 and has its opposite endscoactingrespectively with the nut 43 and with an abutment surface formedon thecarrier 4. The spring 38 tends at all times to urge the jaws 33rearwardly relativelyto the carrier 4 and into the recess thereof. Thecarrier 4 adjacent the rear ends of the jaws 33, is provided with acleanout opening 41 which permits escape of dirt and chips.

The forward ends of the aws 33 are provided with plane tapered surfaces42 coactable with adjacent plane tapered side surfaces of the carrier 4in order to automatically move the jaws 33 laterally toward each otheras they are drawn into the carrier recess. The adjacent inner surfacesof the jaws 33 are provided with longitudinal recesses 35 which areadapted to coact with opposite sides of a blank head and to guide theblank in its travel from the upper rear end portion of the jaws to thecentral for.

ward end portions thereof which are provided with a holding socket. Thejaws 33 are spaced apart, laterally, being held in spaced relation bythe blanks 18 passing therebetween, as well as by the interveningelement. A latch 36 is pivotally attached to the carrier 4 and projectsupwardly into the lower portion of the space between the jaws33, beingnormally held in this position by means of a leaf-spring 37. The latch36 is'adaptd to be pressed downwardly by the heads of the passing blanks18, to deflect the leaf spring 37. Guide plates 34 prevent the jaws 33from'moving upwardly within the carrier recess.

The blank feeding deviceshown in F igs.

1 and 4, comprises a curved rear plate 22,

and a pair of laterally spaced guides 24 secured to and spaced from thelower and forward surface of the plate 22. The feeding device is"rigidly secured to the rear frame 3 by means of a bracket 25 and capscrews or other fastening means. Theblanks 18 are fed along the guides24 by gravity,

the lower faces of the heads coacting with the adjacent guide surfaces.The lower'ex -v tremity of the rear plate 22 of the magazine is formedas a narrow linger orprojection 26 which projects downwardly between thejaws 3-3 of the movable carrier 4. 1

The mechanism of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is applicable per se to a threadingmachine, which differs in structure from the pointing machine, only bythe provision of a thread cutter or die in place of the pointcutter- 19shown in the drawing. The thread cutter or die should of course'b'eprovided with the usual mechanism for automatically manipulating thecutters, such mechanism being of well known construction to thoseskilled in the art and requiringno further detailed description. Themechanism is also applicable to machines for turning cylin drical ortapered shanks, or for dressing end faces of the blanks, by substitutingappropriate cutters and operating mechanisms for those specificallyshown.

During the normal operation of the pointing machine disclosed in Figs.1, 2 and 3, the spindle 5 carrying with, it' the cutter 19 and worm 20,is being rotated by means of the belt and drive pulley 7. Rotation ofthe worm 20 is communicated to the worm wheel 21 causing the wheel 21,shaft 80 and cam 9 to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow. Asthe cam 9 rotates, its outer surfaceengages the medial portions of themain lever 10, causing this lever to oscillate to and fro about thestationary pivot 31. The oscillatory movement of the upper extremity ofthe lever 10 is transmitted to the auxiliary lever ll through theconnection 12, and to the blank carrier 4 through the rod 13 and swivelsocket 27. The tension spring 15 coacting through the lever 11 andconnection 12 constantly maintains contact between the lever 10 and thecam 9'. The oscillation of the lever 10 is converted into a rectilinealreciprocation of the blank carrier 4 in a direction parallel to and inalinement with the axis of rotation of the spindle 5.

The successive blanks 18 are delivered by gravity from the blank feedingmagazine and are deposited or placed one after another, upon thereciprocatingcarrier 4. ,As

-disclosed in Fig. 1, one blank 18 is being held in the chuck socket atthe forward end of the jaws 33 and is being operated upon by thepointing cutter 19, while the next succeeding blank 18 is resting in theupper portion of the recesses 35 of the jaws 33 with its head adjacentto the projection 26 of the stationary rear plate 22. As the cam 9advances from the positionshown in Fig. 1 to that illustrated in Fig. 2,the carrier 4; is moved rearwardly while the blank 18 which isrestingbetween the recesses 35 of the jaws 33 thereof, is restrained againstrearward travelby the stationary projection 26 of the plate 22.Continued travel of the carrier 4 causes the rearwardly moving blank 18which has ust been pointed, to engage the restraining spring 38, toslide past the latch 36, and to finally slip into the socket at the endsof the jaws 33 and become gripped between the jaws line with the spindleaxis, as shown. The advancing cam 9 subsequently permits the tensionspring 15 to become effective to urge the lever 10 toward the right,causing the carrier 4 to move forwardly and to present the end of theripped blank 18 to the rotating cutter 19.

is the carrier 1 advances the gripped blank '18 toward the cutter, thesucceeding blank 18 drops from the magazine on to the medial upperportion of the carrier and is eventually passed through the same cycleof operations. In this manner, the successive blanks 18 areautomatically placed upon the continuously moving carrier 4, advancedalong the carrier, gripped in the socket of the carrier jaws 33, pointedand ejected from'the machine. The machine is operable at a relativelyhigh rate of speed .such operation being permitted by the relatively fewand exceedingly simple parts embodied therein. The mechanism. isoperated automatically throughout and requires no other attention thanan occasional oiling and proper delivery of blanks 18 thereto. Q i

If an abnormal blank or other object should fall between the grippingjaws 33, while the carrier l is moving rearwardly, the rearward travel.of the carrier would be positively arrested. The compression spring 14then becomes effective to permit the rod 13 to continue its rearwardtravel relatively to the held carrier 4, such relative movement of theelements being permitted bycompressi'on of the spring 141. In thismanner the spring 14' prevents breakage of the carrier moving mechanism.Such an abnormal obstructionma-y be readily removed by stopping themachine and moving the carrier 1 to its extreme forward position, afterwhich the machine is again in condition for further operation. 7 I

The blanks thus finished in the machines as 4 described, are uniform inall respects. Machines of the improved type have proven their ability tofinish almost three times the number of blanks handled-by arotaryspindle machine of the ordinary form. The relatively few parts embodiedin these machines and the simplicity of the necessary parts, reduces toa minimum the liability of In general, it should be understood thatit isnot desired to limit'the invention to the exact details of constructionand operation herein shown and described, for various 7 modificationswithin the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the-art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent i 1. Incombination, a spindle, a carrier having an end adjacent to saidspindle, means for placing a blank upon a portion of said carrier remotefrom said end, and means for relatively moving said blank and saidcarrier longitudinally of said spindle to eject said. blank from saidend of said carrier.

2. In combination, a spindle having an axis, a carrier having an endadjacent to said spindle, means for placing a blank upon'said carrierabove said axis, and means for relatively moving said blank and said.carrier to move said blank toward said end and into alinement with saidaxis. v

3. In combination, a spindle having an axis, a'carrier, means forplacing a blank upon said carrier above said axis, and meansfor'relatively moving said blank and said carrier to eject said blankfrom said carrier in line with saidaxis.

4:. In combination, a carrier having an axis, means for placing a blankupon said carrier above said axis, and means for relatively moving saidblank and said carrier to bring said blank into alinement with saideject said blank from an'end of said carrier.

5. In combination, a carrier having an axis, achuck associated with saidcarrier and having a gripping socket in line with said am's, means forplacing a blank upon saidcarrier above saidaxis, and means forrelatively moving said blank and sad. car-, nor to pos1t1onsald blank'lnsald socket.

6. In combination, a spindleihaving an axis, a carrier, a chuckassoclated with said carrier and having a grlpplng socket 1nv 11116 withsaid axis," means for placing a blank upon said carrier above said axis,and means for relatively moving .said blank and said carrier-to positionsaid blank in said'socket.

.7. In combination, a spindle having'an axis, a carrier, a chuckassociated with said carrier and having a gripping socket in line withsaid axis, means for'placinga blank upon said carrier above said axis,and means operable by said spindle to relatively move.

said blank and said carrier to position said. blank in said socket.

8. In combination, a rotary spindle, a carrier having an, end ad acentto said SPIIldle, means for placing a blank upon said carrier remotefrom said end, and means for relatively reciprocating said blank andsaid carrier to move said blank toward sa d end. 9. In combinatlon, arotary spindle, a

carrier having an end adjacent to said spindle, means for placing ablank upon a por tion of. said carrier remote from said end,

andmeans for-relatively reciprocating said blank and said carrier toeject said blank from said end of said carrier.

10. In combination, a rotary spindle having an axis, a carrier,.meansfor placing a blank upon said carrier above said axis, and meansforrelatively reciprocating said blank and said carrier to move said blankin proximity to said axis.

11. In combination, a rotary spindle having an axis, a carrier, meansfor placing a blank upon said carrier above said axis, and

means for relatively reciprocating said blank and said carrier to ejectsaid blank from said carrler in line with said axis.

12. In combination, a carrier having an axis, means for placing ablankupon said carrier above sald ax s, and means for rela tively longitudnally reciprocating said blank and said carrier to bring said blank intoalinement with said axis and to sub sequently eject said blank from anend of said carrier.

13. In combination, a rotary spindle having an axis, a carrier, a chuckassociated with said carrier and'having agripping socket 1n linewlthsaid axls, means for placing a blank upon said carrier above Said. 1

axis, and means operable by said spindle to relatively reciprocate saidblank and said carrier to move said blank into said socket.

14. In combination, a carrier having pair of transversely movable jawsformed to guide a blank toward the axis of said carrier, means forplacing a blank upon said carrier above its axis, and means foradvanc1ng sald blankalong said carrier. fn combmation, a carrler havinga' pair of transversely movable jaws provided with inclined grooves forguiding a blank toward the axis of said carrier, means for feedingblanks in succession to the portion of said groovesremote from thecarrier axis, and means for reciprocating said car- I rier to advancethe successlve blanks along saidgrooves and toward said axis. 7

In testimony whereof,the slgnature of the inventor 1s ailixed hereto.

RICHARD M. im MEs-

